trướng
Definition
Noun:
- A funeral banner or elegiac panel: A large piece of fabric, often silk or brocade, inscribed with commemorative text, used as a ceremonial offering to the deceased at funerals or memorials.
- A congratulatory or honorary scroll: A valuable piece of embroidered or woven textile, often silk, bearing inscriptions of praise or good wishes, presented to delegations, organizations, or individuals on significant occasions.
Adjective (less common, from Sino-Vietnamese root):
- Swollen; distended; bloated. This meaning is primarily used in formal or medical contexts.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- Gia đình nhận được nhiều trướng viếng. (The family received many funeral banners.)
- Đoàn thể thao được tặng một tấm trướng thêu chữ vàng. (The sports team was gifted an embroidered scroll with golden characters.)
Adjective:
- Bệnh nhân than phiền bụng trướng và đau. (The patient complained of a bloated and painful stomach.)
Advanced Usage
- The noun "trướng" is deeply tied to formal, ceremonial culture. It is not an everyday object but one reserved for rites of passage (funerals) or honors.
- When used as an adjective meaning "swollen," it often appears in fixed phrases or medical descriptions rather than casual speech.
Variants and Related Words
- Trướng bụng (adj phrase): abdominal distension; bloated stomach.
- Trương (v, a separate but related word): to expand; to swell; to open out (like a curtain). Do not confuse with "trướng."
Synonyms
- Noun: Banner, scroll, panel, tapestry.
- Adjective: Swollen, distended, bloated, inflated.
Related Idioms
- Căng da bụng, chùng da trướng: An idiom describing the state of being full and satisfied after a meal, with a taut belly and loose belt. This idiom uses a variant ("trướng" as an old form for belt/waistband) and is not directly related to the main definitions above.